My Blog

Retirement. Publishers, thank you for the many years of reading pleasure you gave me, but all good things must come to an end. Due to failing eyesight I am forced to retire. I can no longer review your books, and any that you send will be donated to the local library, unread. Do not send any more. I can only read for a couple hours every day, and this does not allow me to finish a book in reasonable time. I will be devoting time to my own books from now on, and reading on a personal level. Books that interest me. I prefer paperbacks and hardbacks, not eBooks. My eyesight has been failing the last few years, and I cannot handle hundreds of review books any more. My books are still available for review. Anyone interested in reviewing any of them, they are found in the Link to Tom’s Books On Amazon. Contact me for pdf copies at fadingshadows40@gmail.com

Friday, March 28, 2014

Guns
of The Black Ghost: This is my tribute to Walter Gibson and The Shadow. Set in
contemporary times, Jimmy Malone dons a black hood and cape sending fear into
the hearts of evildoers, as he battles the underworld in the tradition of a
modern day Shadow or Spider. Burning eyes, a mocking laugh, and blazing
automatics announce his entrance into an affray. Gangsters cringe when they
come up against the guns of the Black Ghost! Available on Amazon Kindle $3.99.

Crime’s
Last Stand: In this debut adventure of the masked hero, will evil win out?
Blood covers the streets as gangsters kill indiscriminately. As a little boy
lies helpless in the hospital, a new paladin takes up arms to bring the killers
to justice. Can even the great Masked Avenger survive the final battle with the
city's underworld when crime makes its last stand? Available on Amazon Kindle $0.99

The
Mind Master: New York has a new hero. In a contemporary setting, thieves knock
over an art gallery, stealing famous and valuable paintings, and at the same
time hit a museum displaying a necklace once belonging to Queen Bathsheba given
to her by King Solomon, its value beyond price. From the chaos rises a new
hero, The Mind Master! Available on Amazon Kindle $0.99.

Crime’s
Dark Streets: Dark streets that lead to ebony alleys in the city’s immigrant
district culminate in a spider’s web of fear when emissaries of evil abduct
homeless children. When The Masked Avenger promises protection to the city’s
unwanted children, can he keep that promise? Follow our paladin as he embarks
on his second dangerous mission! Available on Amazon Kindle $0.99.

The
Black Shadow: Chu Chul, the evil Chinese mastermind, thought to be long dead is
back to win the throne of China. But first he vows to kill his mortal enemy,
Dorus Noel. After Chu Chul robs a Korean temple of valuable treasures to
finance his army, a mysterious assassin appears in New York’s Chinatown to
assist Noel in his battle with the evil Chinaman. Could The Black Shadow be
Dorus Noel’s new houseboy? Go with Noel and Kim Young Ju, as they search for
the mastermind’s opium den while the black cloak of The Black Shadow watches
over the dark streets of Chinatown. Available on Amazon Kindle $0.99.

Crime’s
Death Plague: The trail begins in a Chicago orphanage, but when a boy is
kidnapped, it takes The Masked Avenger to New York City where he must uncover
the identity of a German scientist and stop him from releasing a deadly virus
and killing everyone in New York. Can one man, even such as The Masked Avenger,
succeed when America looks to be doomed? Available on Amazon Kindle $0.99.

In
The Silence of Death, Colonel Jeremiah Custer's Wild West Show comes across
murder in a small Texas town. A mystifying murder mystery ensnares the famous
criminologist and sharpshooter, Colonel Jeremiah Custer when his team
encounters a young boy accused of mayhem. The lad cannot deny the charges for
he can neither hear nor speak. The scientific brain of the greatest man hunter
is put to task as he attempts to unravel this new crime! The ex intelligence
officer puts his scientific brain to work to prove that the deaf mute boy is
not the killer. Follow Colonel Custer and his aides as they unravel this deep
mystery, and bring to justice this evil murderer. Available on Amazon Kindle $1.99.

Thursday, March 20, 2014

“From A Dysfunctional Family To A Killer. The Story of
A Giant In Both Size And Intellect Who’s Sexual Fantasies Turned To Murder.”

Edmund Kemper became better known perhaps as The Co-Ed
Killer in California, when he was arrested in 1973. At 6’9” and 300 pounds, he
was a huge man with a high IQ, yet suffered from sexual fantasies and mental
disorders. He killed his grandmother and grandfather when he was 15, after
learning of Lee Harvey Oswald’s shooting of JFK, only spending a few years in
prison for the crime. In the early 1970s he picked up young female hitchhikers,
killing them then sexually molesting the bodies. He is still in prison for his
later crimes.

The author writes the novel in 1st person
narative, from Kemper’s POV, showing the reader his thoughts and the scenes
from his perspective, turning the novel into a murder story. There appears to
be no thoughts of remorse for what he does, and once he kills his mother, he
feels it’s finished and turns himself in.

Although I’m not a true crime reader, preferring
fiction to non-fiction murder mysteries, the author presents the Edmund Kemper
story in a way that satisfies the mystery reader. Anyone interested in The
Co-Ed Murders will certainly want to read this novel for a closer look at the
mind of a killer.

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

It’s time to advertise my hardback books from Altus
Press this week. I have two short story collections, and five research books
available. I only have a few of the hardback editions, so check with Altus
Press on the availability of these, and confirm the prices. What I have listed
may be incorrect.

The Pulp Detectives:
For the first time, nine all-new stories starring the classic pulp heroes of
the 1930s, featuring characters such as The Phantom Detective, The Black Bat,
The Lone Eagle, The Masked Detective, Secret Agent X and Nightwind. Paperback
$22.46. Written by pulp scholar Tom Johnson, it's nearly 400 pages of
excitement! Hardback is $34.95 from Altus Press www.altuspress.com

The Phantom Detective
Companion: The longest-running hero of the pulp era! For the first time, the
history of the Phantom Detective is bought under one volume, completely
updated! Includes an index to nearly 175 stories, 100s of pages of articles, two
unused Phantom story plots from the mid-1930s and nearly all of the Phantom's
comic book appearances. Paperback is $26.96. It's 400 pages of must-own
information for any pulp fan to enjoy. The hardback is $39.95 from Altus Press www.altuspress.com

The Secret Agent X
Companion: The classic investigation of SECRET AGENT "X," revised and
updated by the original writers, Tom Johnson and Will Murray, including new
chapters, images and information! It's the last word on this classic character!
Paperback edition is $13.46. I’m not sure if this one is in hardback yet, check
with Altus Press www.altuspress.com

G-Man Companion: For
nearly 20 years, Dan Fowler and his G-men battled crimedom in the pages of
G-Men Detective. Now, author Tom Johnson has indexed each issue, listing
everything you need to know about the series. Also included are complete
reprints of the two best Dan Fowler stories as chosen by Johnson and pulp historian
Will Murray: "Give 'Em Hell" by Norvell W. Page and "Bullet
Justice" by Charles Greenberg. And reprinted in its entirety for the first
time: "I Cover the Murder Front," the lost, rejected Dan Fowler
story. Paperback is 31.46. Featuring additional articles by Johnson and Murray,
this is the ultimate history of the series. The hardback is $44.95 from Altus
Press www.altuspress.com

Operator #5: The entire history of the The Purple
Invasion, the War and Peace of
the pulps which ran for over a year in the pages of Operator #5! Loaded with illustrations from the original pulps. Paperback
edition is $13.46. The hardback is $24.95. I think the hardback is still
available. Check with Altus Press www.altuspress.com

The Black Bat
Companion: This one is not in hardback yet, but I wanted to list it anyway. One
of the most beloved pulp characters, The Black Bat, is finally celebrated with
this 340 page deluxe retrospective. Author Tom Johnson has indexed each issue,
listing everything you need to know about the series, along with the following
highlights: - A complete reprint of the rejected Black Bat adventure, "The
Lady's Out for Blood" - A breakdown of the newly-discovered final Black
Bat story, "The Celebrity Murders" - All 800 German Black Bat stories
newly identified for the English audience - Nine complete reprints of the Black
Bat's golden Age comic book stories - An interview with series creator Norman
Daniels as well as his complete payment records... available here for the first
time Featuring additional articles by Will Murray, this is the ultimate history
of the series. Paperback edition $26.96 from Altus Press www.altuspress.com

Sunday, March 16, 2014

Donny is a 15-year old student with a crush on his
super sexy English teacher, Miss Brooks. He goes to extreme efforts to impress
her, figuring out gimmicks that always end in calamity. But he doesn’t give up,
relying on his indomitable powers not
to destroy the world in his goal of winning the beautiful teacher as his own true
love. My favorite was the incident with the garter belt, but you will have to
read the book to find out more.

This was a fun novel, and will bring back great
memories for everyone reading it. Though perhaps I was a little strange since
my crushes were on lady intellectuals and teachers with gray hair. I’m sure
there must have been a beautiful, sexy teacher somewhere in there like Donny’s
Miss Brooks. At least I was spared the many troubling set backs that befell the
main character. Unlike Tom Sawyer, Donny doesn’t talk someone else into
painting picket fences. He tackles whatever schemes he comes up with, always to
end in his own downfall. Ah, true love does play tricks on young hearts,
doesn’t it?

Whether he attempts to become a great pitcher like Sandy
Koufax, a heroic fireman, or super strong like Kendall Carson, fate is bound to
cause him some mischief along the way. It is that attempt that drives the
story, and always at the end waits the love of his life, Miss Brooks. For
readers who enjoy a coming of age tale, or merely wishes to look back at their
own school days when we stared in awe at a beautiful, worldly teacher, you’ll
find this novel hilarious, gripping, and moving. I must admit, the great cover by
Keith Garvey is what first attracted my attention, and then the title cemented
my interest in reading the book. I was always a fan of Eve Arden’s Our Miss
Brooks, who also happened to be an English teacher, I believe. Highly
recommended reading.

A young man, with too much to drink, stops along the
road when nature calls, and discovers a body in a trashcan. Driving to a bar
he’d passed moments before, he calls the police but they think he’s just a
drunk and hang up on him. The bartender, Massimo Viviani tells the youngster to
direct him to the body. After viewing the young girl, dead, in the trashcan, he
calls the police and gets results. Two suspects are apparent early on, and the
police center their investigation in their direction. In the meantime, Massimo
and the regulars at the bar have their own ideas about the case.

Bar owner Massimo Viviani tends bar and listens to his
grandfather and his pals play cards and tell tales. Ampelio Viviani is 82; Aldo
owns the Boccacoio restaurant and is also elderly; Gino Rimediotti, 74, was a
retired postal worker; and Pilade Del Tacoa, 74, had worked in the town hall in
Pinate. These four men, along with Massimo are the main players of this new
mystery series from Italy.

The Bar Lume may be a gathering place for old men, but
the reader will get a few chuckles at the cantankerous old guys, as they follow
the mystery to the end. Massimo is an interesting character, as well. Once he
gets on a problem, he will follow it until he discovers the truth. I think
mystery fans will enjoy this new series from Italy. The writing is simple, and
easy to follow, and the author throws in a nice switch at the end.